BACKWARD GLANCES  Fussy beaver moved to park zoo

See what was happening in Redwood Falls 50, 25, and 10 years ago this week.

By Joshua Dixon, Staff Writer

Redwood Falls Gazette

By Joshua Dixon, Staff Writer

Posted Apr. 5, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Apr 5, 2012 at 4:13 AM

By Joshua Dixon, Staff Writer

Posted Apr. 5, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Apr 5, 2012 at 4:13 AM

Redwood Falls, Minn.

1962—50 years ago
• Attorney Hollys Gay Dotson, a 1928 graduate of Redwood Falls High School, announced her candidacy for the Montana State Supreme court.
If elected, she would become the fourth female member of a state supreme court in the U.S.
• Results from the 1960 census showed that Germans topped Scandinavians in Redwood County by 2,330 to 1.549.
Another result: one third of the county’s adult males were veterans of one war or another.
• The Nelson-Schjaastad hardware store sponsored a “Decorate a Dream House” contest, in which entrants colored an outline drawing of a rambler house cut away to show interior rooms.
First prize was “a fully motorized home barbecue wagon worth $44.95.”
• For the sixth year in a row, RFHS had a finalist in the Minneapolis Star’s annual World Affairs contest.
Gary Lindeman, 16, beat out nearly 15,000 students from across the upper midwest to make the next round of the contest.
• After falling into a window well of an apartment building on Bridge Street, a beaver was snared and taken to the Ramsey Park zoo for observation.
First observation: it didn’t like dog food.
1987—25 years ago
• Estella Hepner, a resident of Sunwood Care Center, celebrated her 100th birthday with a party hosted by her friend, Lillian Dittbenner, also 100.
• The annual Early Bird Fishing Contest began, with entrants having until May 14 to catch as many fish as possible from Lake Redwood.
• The city council heard a proposal from a committee seeking to attract the new Evangelical Lutheran Church in America synod headquarters to Redwood Falls.
• Area realtors were optimistic that local farmland prices — hovering near 1930s levels — would encourage land sales.
• Chuck and Jim Schmidt, of Redwood Band and Instrument Repair, were presented with their first official dollar from the chamber of commerce.
2002—10 years ago
• The Southwestern Minnesota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Minnesota held its 2002 Assembly at the Redwood Area Community Center, filling the fieldhouse with worshipers.
• Tyler Pendleton, 10, came within one shot of winning the state Knights of Columbus free throw shooting contest in a four-overtime shoot-out in Belgrade.
Pendleton hit 38 out of 42 baskets, while his opponent hit 39 out of 42.
• The Minnesota Inventors Congress won a federal $68,000 grant to help fund its inventors support activities.
• RVHS special education teacher Shawn Polak shared her special avocado/tofu dip recipe in the weekly “Cook’s Corner” feature.
• Jack van der Geest, one of the last remaining survivors of the Buchenwald Death Camp, spoke at RVHS about his experiences as a World War II holocaust survivor.